Close calls are safety-related issues or concerns, which could be anything from a passenger car door that opened on the wrong side of a train to a distracted conductor who was almost struck by a car being coupled in a rail yard.

With nothing but short-term extensions predicted for the immediate future, the consultant industry stresses the need to find a long-term funding mechanism, while also looking at states and localities to play more of a role in financing capital projects.

This issue contains our annual rail projects survey as well as our annual focus on consultants. Great rail projects have always depended on good outside expertise that the best engineering and planning consultant teams have provided to project owners.

While many acknowledge that the feds efforts to clean up the perception of the industry following some high-profile crashes has been effective, many are alarmed with the inconsistency that has come with increased inspections as well as how they are being used to create a score that is viewable by the public.

New York City Transit tops this year’s list with $16.5 billion, while several projects, including the Second Avenue Subway and Sound Transit’s University Link, hit major milestones. Meanwhile streetcars continue to make an impact, with one from 2014 successfully launching and three more set to open in the next year or two.